Many words are being used to describe the reaction to one of the most recent mass killings in the United. States. On Thursday night, July 7, 2016 and into the morning of the July 8, 2016 many in the United Sates and many in other countries reacted to the shooting of eleven police as they were overseeing an otherwise peaceful demonstration calling for action in regard to the use of active and sometimes passive force by law enforcement in the United States – violence which statistics consistently indicate targets individuals on the basis of race.
The person who committed this violent act of murder was a veteran who had amassed an arsenal of bomb making materials, ballistic vests, rifles, ammunition and a personal journal of combat tactics. His name was Micah Xavier Johnson, age 25.
The names of the police persons killed were:
· Brent Thompson, age 47
· Patrick Zamarripa, age 32
· Michael Krol, age 40
· Michael Smith, age 55
· Lrne Ahrens, age 48
Other officers remain under medical care in Dallas area hospitals.
Many other people were directly affected by the acts of Micah Johnson. These include:
· His family.
· David Brown, Dallas Police chief, who is also the father of a police officer who was killed in 2010, a partner of a police officer who was killed and the brother of a man who was killed by a drug dealer.
· Family members, friends, co-officers, neighbors of those killed and wounded as well as all law enforcement personnel.
· Quinyetta McMillion whose son was killed by police officers in Baton Rouge and who condemns the violence. She represents all the other parents and other family members of those killed by police who believe that the violence must stop.
· Gun dealers who have seen gun sales, once again, increase following a violent action.
· All others who care about the stopping of violence.
· All others who think that is necessary to fight violence with violence.
· Every parent, other family member or friend of an African American who is more likely to get stopped by police in many parts of the United States just because they are African American.
In other words, all of us are affected by and need to be concerned about the use of violence, especially as a response to violence. The truth is, of course, that all violence is a response to a threat of violence – real or imagined. Some police officer become fearful because of learned prejudice which can trigger a more hopeless, angry, fearful response by the group of people targeted. This may lead to increased anger, drug use and unlawful behavior which in turn can lead to increased fear by law enforcement personnel which, in turn leads to overreaction – often violence – which …. If we add to this a general attitude about guns and self-defense which is fed by the weapons/gun industry and the NRA, then we have this never ending cycle of violence. There are other factors feeding this narrative. These include politicians and religious zealots. One could list some these groups or factors:
· Police officer’s/law enforcement personnel = P
· Learned prejudice = L
· Group members who are subject of prejudice/mistreatment = F
· Anger, self-destructive behavior, violence =A
· Violence = V
· Profit = M
· Politicians and religious zealots = Z
· Weapons industry = W
· Nation which advocates using violence against law breakers or anyone else who is labeled an enemy = N
A = P + L = V; PL + F = V; M+Z + W = V; V + M +Z + W + F + L + N= V
My point is that this becomes a very destructive, self-perpetuating circle. We could either say that everyone in this process is a victim or everyone is an actor in the system and responsible for their part of the cycle. We know that if one wants to break a cycle one has to interrupt it at any place in the circle. All the parts are interdependent.
At this moment it seems as if there are a number of players who are willing to interrupt that system. The police chief of Dallas, every parent, family member, or other community member who is willing to say no more violence.
These same groups of people have to be willing to consider a new definition of justice. Justice is either about perpetrators and victims mitigated by punishment which involves physical or emotional violence or it is about re-claiming ourselves and our sons and daughters who are drug dealers/self-destructive lawbreakers, police chiefs, line law enforcement persons, mothers, fathers, politicians and, yes, even the weapons manufacturer who is convinced that he/she needs to make huge amounts of money to have a decent life. It is about the religious zealot and politician whose real God is power or the illusion of power having the courage to worship a different God or to just focus on how we can all benefit from taking care of each other.
I know that it will be difficult to keep the focus on problem solving and not finger pointing, but I also fervently believe that we can do just that.
Written July 9, 2016